Flood-gate



A E H A W K I N s.

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PATENT EETCE.

ELIHU I-IAVKINS, OF VIOKERY, OHIO.

FLOOD-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 583,177', dated May 25,.1897.

Application filed February 24, 1897. Serial No. 624,780. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known. that I, ELIHU HAWKINS, of Vickery, in the county ofSandusky and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Flood-Gates; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to improvements in flood-gates; and the object ofthe same is to provide an improved construction which will be easily andreadily operated by reason of the water, the same being so constructedas to permit driftwood, dto. ,passing therethrough without catching uponthe same.

t The invention also consists of certain other novel features ofconstruction hereinafter more particularly set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure l is a perspective view of my improvement before the same istripped. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same after it is tripped by aflood, and Fig. 3 is an end elevation with the uprights broken away toshow the tripping device in position for tripping the gate.

Referring to the said drawings, l indicates uprights, being connected attheir upper ends Oonnectin g the uprigh ts intermediate of their ends isthe rod 3, upon which the iin gers or vertical slats for the gate arepivoted. These slats are retained a proper distance apart by the blocks5, which are connected to the cross-piece 2 by the rods or cables 6.These rods or cables serve to prevent any sagging of the rod 3, uponwhich the slats of the gate are pivoted, as will be understood.

Pivoted to one of the uprights of the gate and adapted to extend acrossthe stream to the other upright is the lever or bar 7. This bar 7extends across the faces of the slats at their lower ends and issupported at its free end in the recess 8, formed in the end of theshort standard 9. This lever serves to prevent the movement at the lowerends of the slats, and the bar or rod IO, extending across between thetwo standards, prevents the movement of the slats at their upper ends.

For tripping or lifting the lever 7 from its seat in the standard 9 Iprovide a tripping cle\iice-\c\o1isisti1ig of a rod or lever Il., whichis pivoted at its upper end to the rod 3 and at its lower end isprovided with the forwardly'- extending wedge-shape projection 12. Theprojection in this instance is formed of a piece of wire having its endsfastened in the lever ll and having its upper side inclined.

In operation my gate is placed with the lever 7 facing down the streamand the rear face of the tripping-lever facing upstream. The gate ispositioned so that the lower ends of the slats of the same are justabove the high-water mark, so that the gate forms a fence across thestream of water. In event of a fiood the rushing waters will strike thelower end of the tripping-lever and by the impact of the same will forcethe lever forward, its inclined projection lifting the locking-leverfrom its seat and releasing the slats of the gate, as will beunderstood. The slats thus released swing upwardly and float upon thesurface of the water, so that the fence will not be carried away by theflood, and the obstructions may be freely passed through the same. Thelocking-lever will float to one side of the stream, and when the floodhas passed the gate may be locked in proper position to serve as aneffectual fence across the stream.

From the above description it will be seen that I have produced a gatewhich serves as a fence when the water is in its normal condition, andwhen a flood occurs the gate will be automatically operated to swingupwardly and permit the water to pass therethrough, carrying with it anyobstructions which may be contained therein.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. A fiood-gate comprising uprights, slats pivoted between the uprights,a locking-lever for retaining the slats in a vertical position, and atrip for operating the locking-lever for releasing the slats,substantially as described.

2. A iiood-gate comprising uprights adapted to be positioned on oppositesides of the stream, a series of slats pivoted between the uprights andadapted to swing therebetween, a locking-lever pivoted to one side ofthe uprights and extending across the lower faces of the slats, a guideupon the opposite upright for receiving and securing the free end ICO ofthe lever, a tripping-lever pivoted at its upper end and carrying aninclined surface at its lower end for engaging and releasing thelocking-lever, and means for engaging the upper ends of the slats andpreventing the same from swinging downwardly, snbstantially asdescribed.

3. A Hood-gate comprising uprights positioned upon opposite sides of astream, a cross-piece connecting the uprights, a supporting--rodconnecting the uprights intermediate of their ends, slats pivoted uponthe supporting-rod, blocks secured upon the supporting-rod and betweenthe slats for holding them the required distance apart, eonnectionsbetween the blocks and the cross-piece for preventing' the sagging ofthe supportingrod, a locking-lever pivoted to one of the nprights andadapted to extend across the faces of the slats at their lower ends, arecessed block secured to the opposite upright for rcceiving andsecuring the free end of the locking-lever, a rod extended across thefaces oi' the slats at their opposite ends, and a tripping device foroperating the locking-lever and permitting the slats to swing upwardly,substantially as described.

4. The combination of uprights positioned on opposite sides of thestream, slats pivoted therebetween, a retaining device which the slatsare adapted to engage adjacent to their upper ends, a locking-leveradapted to enthe slats adjacent to their lower ends and hold them inengagement with the retaining device, and a trip for operating the leverto permit the slats to disengage from the retaining device,substantially as Set forth.

In testimony whereof l have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

lLllIU IIAWKINS.

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R. R. PAnKHUns'r, Cinu's'rorimn Klimas.

